[Ailist] New ways of enriching the destiny phase

Walter Bruck wbruck@wb-consult.de
Fri, 18 Aug 2000 23:26:51 +0200


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Dear AI-collegues!

Today I want to tell you about a great experience in a project where we worked with a modified set of AI-questions with big success. Especially in the destiny phase.

The situation:
Since a few years a service company in Germany is ISO 9000 certified and they did internal audits in the past to prepare for their external certification. Our task was to help the internal auditors
to develop new appreciative audits. These audits will be done by the end of the year. It was the first time that we had to do with this subject.

The project (major issues):
Because we have had only the chance to work in a 2-day workshop with the internal auditors (about 20 people)we were starting with interviews with internal auditors and with internal audited
departments. In this phase we did some fine tuning of our questions for the workshop and we found rich stories and visions in the peoples hearts. One difficulty was, that most of the auditors and
audited departments had no or very little experience with audits.
In our interview questions we focused on a highlight of conversations – possibly an audit situation -. From that we continued with a type of miracle question, where a fairy took them in their dream
this night into the year 2010 to look at their world class audits, where people from all over the world come to see and learn from them. We asked them to tell us:
- what happens in the audits 2010,
- to hear what people talk about on the coffee tables,
- what they where talking about on their summer party (which is the really special event for them in the year), .... Altogether  we where looking from many perspectives at their vision.
But then in the section which reflects the Destiny in the interview protocol we used some new type of questions, which where really powerful. We introduced it with something like
‘You are still in your dream with your fairy in the year 2010. Now at the end the fairy allows you to have a look back on your way you came from 2000 to now (2010). If you are looking on your way:
- What where the major milestones on your way?
- What kept you going and was nurturing you?
- What where the first little steps you where going in 2000?’.
Here the major change in perspective was, that they looked back from their vision and how it was accomplished, rather than looking from the year 2000 in direction 2010.
Then we introduced a last question to really close the 4D-cycle:
‘Now the fairy says good bye to you and gently you wake up in the year 2000. Where do you see the little seeds from that your world class audit 2010 can grow from?’
It was a really powerful question that reconfirmed them, that there vision is a real possibility. Remark: we could have done this from the perspective 2010 as well.

In the workshop we used a lot of creative approaches to enrich presentations. One real good thing for them was our presentations from the interview results prior this workshop with auditors and
especially with the audited departments. They gave them confidence and the saw that they had similar visions. We where giving them these presentations (feedback) at the same time, when they
presented their results in the process. And when they had finished their interviews we where putting the stories we had found in our interviews on pin boards in the coffee break area. And many of
them where really curious about these stories, which enriched the whole process.

On the second day when we where entering the destiny phase we again asked them to look back from 2010. This we underlined with a very strong metaphor of a mountain, where 2010 was the top and 2000
was some where on the slope. We where explaining the milestones, motivation (energy) and the first steps as well as the tiny seeds with a very nice picture. To help them to reconnect and stay in
their vision 2010 for looking back we asked them to place the symbols and pieces they have used in their presentations in the middle of their group or even play with it. When they did this there was
a major change in the group and their state they where in. It was a difficult task for the groups, but it worked really well. We have now many ideas in our minds of variations in that metaphor and
using similar metaphors like Christopher Columbus, etc..
With these results we gave them the opportunity to enter an open space and work on their projects for creating these world class audits. Interestingly all parts of the audit process where covered.
One group for example was working on a new set of questions for the audits.
Finally we closed the session with a nice ritual, where they where creating a net of wishes they had for this group to succeed. They where standing in a circle, saying what is there wish for this
group and then throwing a wool ball to someone else and the wool thread was building a connection between these two people. So a net was build and many encouraging wishes where shared.
We are curious how these new audits will be and may be we can tell you more about this next year. We believe that these ideas, we used here successfully, are enriching the destiny phase.

Wishing you all great experiments with ai

Walter
--
Walter Bruck
* Consulting for Humane Business Development *
Goethestr. 5
D-61350 Bad Homburg
Germany
Tel. +49-6172-983643
Fax. +49-6172-983644

*************** NEW INTERNET SITE ***************
Email: wbruck@wb-consult.de
Internet: www.appreciative-inquiry.de

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Dear AI-collegues!

Today I want to tell you about a great experience in a project where we worked with a modified set of AI-questions with big success. Especially in the destiny phase.

The situation:
Since a few years a service company in Germany is ISO 9000 certified and they did internal audits in the past to prepare for their external certification. Our task was to help the internal auditors to develop new appreciative audits. These audits will be done by the end of the year. It was the first time that we had to do with this subject.

The project (major issues):
Because we have had only the chance to work in a 2-day workshop with the internal auditors (about 20 people)we were starting with interviews with internal auditors and with internal audited departments. In this phase we did some fine tuning of our questions for the workshop and we found rich stories and visions in the peoples hearts. One difficulty was, that most of the auditors and audited departments had no or very little experience with audits.
In our interview questions we focused on a highlight of conversations – possibly an audit situation -. From that we continued with a type of miracle question, where a fairy took them in their dream this night into the year 2010 to look at their world class audits, where people from all over the world come to see and learn from them. We asked them to tell us:
- what happens in the audits 2010,
- to hear what people talk about on the coffee tables,
- what they where talking about on their summer party (which is the really special event for them in the year), .... Altogether  we where looking from many perspectives at their vision.
But then in the section which reflects the Destiny in the interview protocol we used some new type of questions, which where really powerful. We introduced it with something like
‘You are still in your dream with your fairy in the year 2010. Now at the end the fairy allows you to have a look back on your way you came from 2000 to now (2010). If you are looking on your way:
- What where the major milestones on your way?
- What kept you going and was nurturing you?
- What where the first little steps you where going in 2000?’.
Here the major change in perspective was, that they looked back from their vision and how it was accomplished, rather than looking from the year 2000 in direction 2010.
Then we introduced a last question to really close the 4D-cycle:
‘Now the fairy says good bye to you and gently you wake up in the year 2000. Where do you see the little seeds from that your world class audit 2010 can grow from?’
It was a really powerful question that reconfirmed them, that there vision is a real possibility. Remark: we could have done this from the perspective 2010 as well.

In the workshop we used a lot of creative approaches to enrich presentations. One real good thing for them was our presentations from the interview results prior this workshop with auditors and especially with the audited departments. They gave them confidence and the saw that they had similar visions. We where giving them these presentations (feedback) at the same time, when they presented their results in the process. And when they had finished their interviews we where putting the stories we had found in our interviews on pin boards in the coffee break area. And many of them where really curious about these stories, which enriched the whole process.

On the second day when we where entering the destiny phase we again asked them to look back from 2010. This we underlined with a very strong metaphor of a mountain, where 2010 was the top and 2000 was some where on the slope. We where explaining the milestones, motivation (energy) and the first steps as well as the tiny seeds with a very nice picture. To help them to reconnect and stay in their vision 2010 for looking back we asked them to place the symbols and pieces they have used in their presentations in the middle of their group or even play with it. When they did this there was a major change in the group and their state they where in. It was a difficult task for the groups, but it worked really well. We have now many ideas in our minds of variations in that metaphor and using similar metaphors like Christopher Columbus, etc..
With these results we gave them the opportunity to enter an open space and work on their projects for creating these world class audits. Interestingly all parts of the audit process where covered. One group for example was working on a new set of questions for the audits.
Finally we closed the session with a nice ritual, where they where creating a net of wishes they had for this group to succeed. They where standing in a circle, saying what is there wish for this group and then throwing a wool ball to someone else and the wool thread was building a connection between these two people. So a net was build and many encouraging wishes where shared.
We are curious how these new audits will be and may be we can tell you more about this next year. We believe that these ideas, we used here successfully, are enriching the destiny phase.

Wishing you all great experiments with ai

Walter
--
Walter Bruck
* Consulting for Humane Business Development *
Goethestr. 5
D-61350 Bad Homburg
Germany
Tel. +49-6172-983643
Fax. +49-6172-983644

*************** NEW INTERNET SITE ***************
Email: wbruck@wb-consult.de
Internet: www.appreciative-inquiry.de --------------4F7702AE4F8CE025D4EA42AA--